Storytelling 1 | Page 13 of my Childhood

Childhood memories are part of our life, be it happy or sad, great or terrible. These memories are something that happened in the past of our life that no one could ever have a chance to change or experience them again. However, without childhood memories, we would never be ourselves today.

You might be the luckiest kids in the world, had great times during your childhood and you always wish to travel back time. Unfortunately, I was not one of these kids. I hope I could forget about my childhood. If there is a delete button to erase mankind memories, please allow me to delete all of my childhood memories.

Time is going to tick at 1 a.m. I am sitting at the graves. Wind blows across my face, pulling down my tears. Half of the page of which I am staring at gets wet when the tears dropped on the page. It was the page 13 of my diary. This diary is a tiny room of my childhood life.

Page 13:

I heard some noise outside my room. Someone has just come back. It was the guy that I have to call him ‘dad’ after dad passed away years ago. God has brought him somewhere when I was six. I have always dreamt that he would come back in our life one day. I believe about miracles. I would wait… 

I keep wondering why mom has allowed this guy to stay in our home and I was given no choice to accept him as my new ‘dad’. This guy is nobody but a great drinker and drunker. I have no idea about what he is working as and why we are living with him.

The noise is getting louder as I heard him shouting on mom. Subsequently, I heard the whimpering of mom. It tears out my heart though I have been used the same scene and feelings since he moved in. I try to peep from the back of the door in my room.

He is beating recklessly on mom and this was not the first time. Out of sudden, he uses the liquor bottle that he brought from nowhere to hit mom. Blood spread across the floor. Mom is trying to struggle and protect her head with the hands. I could not bear to see that anymore.

I could not remember where did I found a knife, probably somewhere from the kitchen. And I could not remember anything further. The last scene that I saw was that the fake dad lying down on the floor, blood dripping from his stomach until I could not see the greyish color of the cemented floor. I heard the crying of mom, until it was overtaken by the crowing of the rooster in the morning.

That was the page 13 of my diary. When the day turns into history, we would never have any chance to change even a second of it. Mom was sentenced for 12 years of prisoning. She passed away after 6 years living in the prison. This is the 13th year since the page 13 was written. Mom would have been released from the prison today. However, I would only be able to visit her at the graves.

No one actually knows about the tragedy happened in the page 13. As time goes by, the memories fade. I would let go these memories and move on…

Here goes the song about the hearty protection from parents. Without the love of parents, we would not be complete. I am thankful that mom has accompanied me so far and sacrificed herself to allow me for living a second life. Though the guilt that lies deep beneath my heart would never fade away…